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New Line Cinema
New Line Film Productions Inc., often simply referred to as New Line Cinema, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner Bros. in 2008.Funding Universe (New York City, United States) | founder = Robert Shaye | location = 4000 Warner Blvd | location_city = Burbank, California, United States | key_people = * Richard Brener }} | industry = Motion pictures | products = | divisions = * Seven Arts Pictures (with Carolco Pictures) * New Line New Media }} | parent = Warner Bros. | website = }} New Line Cinema is an American film production studio of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company, later becoming a film studio. It was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in 1994; Turner later merged with Time Warner (now WarnerMedia) in 1996, and New Line was merged with Warner Bros. Pictures in 2008. Currently, its films are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. History New Line Cinema was established in 1967 by the then 27-year-old Robert Shaye as a film distribution company, supplying foreign and art films for college campuses in the United States. Shaye operated New Line's offices out of his apartment at 14th Street and Second Avenue in New York City. One of the company's early successes was its distribution of the 1936 anti-cannabis propaganda film Reefer Madness, which became a cult hit on American college campuses in the early 1970s. New Line also released many classic foreign-language films, like Stay As You Are, Immoral Tales and Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (which became the first New Line film to win an Oscar). The studio has also released many of the films of John Waters. In 1976, New Line secured funding to produce its first full-length feature, Stunts (1977), directed by Mark Lester. Although not considered a critical success, the film performed well commercially on the international market and on television. New Line then produced or co-produced three more films in 1981 and 1983; Alone in the Dark, Xtro and Polyester, directed by John Waters. Polyester was one of the first films to introduce a novelty cinema experience named Odorama, where members of the audience were provided with a set of "scratch and sniff" cards to be scratched and sniffed at specific times during the film, which provided an additional sensory connection to the viewed image. A Nightmare on Elm Street was produced and released by New Line in 1984. The resulting franchise was New Line's first commercially successful series after a devastating financial slump, leading the company to be nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built". The film was made on a budget of $1.8 million and grossed over $25.5 million at the United States box office. It was the first film to feature the actor Johnny Depp. A year later, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge was released, and grossed $3.3 million in its first three days of release and over $30 million at the domestic box office. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was released in 1987, and grossed more than any previously released independent film and went on to make almost $45 million at the US box office. In November 1990, New Line purchased a 52% stake in the television production company RHI Entertainment (now Sonar Entertainment), which would later be sold to Hallmark Cards. In May 1991, New Line purchased the home video and foreign rights to 600 films held by Sultan Entertainment Holdings (aka Nelson Entertainment Group). The deal also included an 11-film distribution deal with Turner subsidiary Castle Rock Entertainment. On November 27, 1991, New Line purchased Sultan outright. On January 28, 1994, New Line Cinema was acquired by the Turner Broadcasting System,"New Line to Join Ted Turner Empire Today : Film: With more money, the company is likely to add a few big movies to its annual production schedule". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 9, 2012. which then merged with Time Warner in 1996. New Line Cinema was kept as its own separate entity, while fellow Turner-owned studios Hanna-Barbera Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment eventually became units of Warner Bros. In 2007, New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment collaborated on the 2007 film Fracture, as their first joint venture since the mid 1990s before both companies were bought by Turner. During its time as an entity separate from Warner Bros., New Line Cinema operated several divisions, including theatrical distribution, marketing and home video. It was also a partner in founding a new distribution company named Picturehouse in 2005. Specializing in independent film, Picturehouse was formed by Bob Berney, who left distributor Newmarket Films, New Line, who folded their Fine Line division into Picturehouse, and HBO Films, a division of HBO and a subsidiary of Time Warner, who was interested in getting into the theatrical film business. However, on May 8, 2008, it was announced that Picturehouse would shut down in the fall of said year. Berney later bought the Picturehouse trademarks from Warner Bros. and relaunched the company in 2013. Divisions of New Line Cinema New Line Cinema operated several divisions, including theatrical distribution, marketing, home video, and was a partner in a new (and relatively short-lived) distribution company called Picturehouse. Specializing in independent film, Picturehouse was formed by Bob Berney (who left distributor Newmarket Films), New Line (who folded their division Fine Line into this), and HBO Films (a division of HBO and subsidiary of Time Warner), who was interested in getting into the theatrical movie business. On May 8, 2008 it was announced that Picturehouse would shut down in the fall. Collaborations with other major studios With becoming a WB division, New Line is starting to make more traditional co-productions with other major studios (where one studio has North American rights, the other international rights). The first such film was the reboot of Friday the 13th. It is co-produced with Paramount Pictures, the other major distributor of that franchise's films. The US distribution rights are with Warner Bros./New Line, while Paramount Pictures will handle international rights (distributing through either Universal Studios or United International Pictures in some countries, while Paramount Pictures distributes directly in others). This essentially mirrors the distribution setup for the original film, where Paramount Pictures had US rights, and Warner Bros. had international rights. Also on New Line's upcoming slate will be the upcoming film version of The Hobbit. This film is being co-produced with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (New Line's former TV distributor), as a result of various rights issues. Accounting practices South Canterbury Finance invested $30 million in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, only to have New Line produce accounts showing that the movies did not make a profit, but made "horrendous losses". According to SCF CEO Allan Hubbard: "We found it surprising because it was one of the biggest box office success of all time." (The three films rank 5th, 18th and 25th on the list of Highest Grossing Movies.) Fifteen actors are suing New Line Cinema claiming that they have never received their 5% of revenue from merchandise sold in relation to the movie, which contains their likeness. Similarly, the Tolkien estate sued New Line, claiming that their contract entitled them to 7.5% of the gross receipts of the $6 billion hit.The Associated Press: Tolkien Estate Sues New Line Cinema, February 12, 2008. Peter Jackson's production company Wingnut Films questioned New Line Cinema's accounting methods, bringing in an outside auditor as allowed by the contract, and eventually sued New Line. New Line executive Robert Shaye took great offense, declared that they would never work with Jackson again. Saul Zaentz also has an ongoing dispute with New Line Cinema over profits from The Lord of the Rings films. The dispute began shortly after the release of the films. In December 2007 Variety reported that Zaentz was also suing New Line Cinema, alleging that the studio has refused to make records available so that he can confirm his profit-participation statements are accurate. Distribution Theatrical Canada * Alliance Films (1989–2010) * Warner Bros. (2010–present) United Kingdom * Entertainment Film Distributors (1990–2009) * Warner Bros. (2009–present) * Icon Productions (The Butterfly Effect (2004) and The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006) only) (handled by Focus Features International) Australia and New Zealand * Roadshow Entertainment (1997–2009, 2015–present) * Warner Bros. (2010–present) * Icon Productions (The Butterfly Effect and The Butterfly Effect 2 only) (handled by Focus Features International) Japan * Toho (1980s?–2010) * Warner Bros. (2010–present) France * Metropolitan Filmexport (1991–2011) * Warner Bros. (2011–present) Brazil * PlayArte (1999–2011) * Warner Bros. (2011–present) Home video distribution In comparison with other independent motion picture studios Unlike other independent studios such as Orion Pictures, Carolco Pictures, or Cannon Films, New Line Cinema grew and prospered to become one of Hollywood's major film studios, culminating in the hit ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy that brought commercial success to the studio. Prior to this, New Line was responsible for genre films and cult classics such as Dark City, the Jim Carrey vehicles The Mask and Dumb & Dumber, the ''Austin Powers'' film trilogy, the fantasy Pleasantville, the Final Destination series, the Nightmare on Elm Street series, the ''Friday'' films, the films of John Waters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films, the highly successful movie adaptation of Mortal Kombat (as well as its ill-fated sequel), the Rush Hour films and the ''Blade'' trilogy. Films Film series Highest-grossing films * Includes theatrical reissue(s). See also * Fine Line Features * New Line Home Entertainment * New Line Television * Picturehouse (with HBO) References External links * * * * Category:Article Feedback 5 Category:Companies established in 1967 Category:Film distributors Category:Film production companies of the United States * Category:Time Warner subsidiaries